So monkeys CAN write Shakespeare - with a little help from mind-reading technology

Brain signals were used to drive a cursor moving over a keyboard
The monkeys had been trained to type the letters beforehand
The animals were able to transcribe passages from Hamlet
Ground-breaking technology could be used to enable people with paralysis to communicate more quickly

Published: 17:00 EST, 12 September 2016 | Updated: 18:02 EST, 12 September 2016

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It is often said that, given an infinite amount of time, monkeys hitting random keys on a typewriter will eventually type the works of Shakespeare.

While it may seem far fetched, an unusual experiment has achieved the fabled task.

To illustrate how paralysed people can type using a device called a ‘brain-computer interface’, scientists used monkeys to show how it can be done.

Two rhesus macaque monkeys (stock picture left) had electrodes implanted in part of the brain that controls hand movement. As a result, they were able to type a passage from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The technology uses a multi-electrode array implanted in the brain to directly read signals from a region that directs hand and arm movements used to move a computer mouse.

The Stanford team has been developing algorithms for translating those signals and making letter selections.

The monkeys had been trained to type letter corresponding to what they saw on a screen.

They were given passages of Hamlet and the New York Times to transcribe.

The technology allowed the monkeys to type with only their thoughts at a rate of up to 12 words per minute.

As a result, two rhesus macaque monkeys typed a passage from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as well as portions of the New York Times, at 12 words per minute.

While this speed is a long way from a fast human typist, the experiment shows that if a monkey, with no English skills, can operate the system, it should work just as well with a human.

To achieve the task, monkeys had electrodes implanted in part of the brain that controls hand movement.

The monkeys were able to move a cursor backwards and forwards on a grid which represents letters of the alphabet by thinking about moving up and down, left and right.

When a square on a computer screen lit up, the monkeys were able to move a cursor to that square using just their brains to indicate their selection.

So letter by letter, the monkeys were able to copy the words of Shakespeare, as well as news articles.

Krishna Shenoy, a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University and colleague Paul Nuyujukian said an earlier version of the device had been tested successfully in people with paralysis, but the typing was slow and imprecise.

But clever computer software is now better at picking up the signals generated by the brain.

Mr Nuyujukian said: ‘Our results demonstrate that this interface may have great promise for use in people.

‘It enables a typing rate sufficient for a meaningful conversation.’

Other methods of helping people with movement disorders communicate involve tracking eye movements.

Stephen Hawking uses movements of individual muscles in the face to ‘type’.

The monkeys were able to move a cursor on a grid which represents letters of the alphabet by thinking about moving up and down, left and right. When a square on a computer screen lit up, the monkeys were able to move a cursor to that square using just their brains

But these methods have limitations including a level of muscle control that could be difficult for some people.

Stephen Hawking was not able to use eye-tracking software due to drooping eyelids, and eye tracking technology is found to be tiring by many people.

So directly reading brain signals could provide a more effective way for people to communicate thoughts and emotions.

Mr Nuyujukian added: ‘The interface we tested is exactly what a human would use.

‘What we had never quantified before was the typing rate that could be achieved.’

The monkeys were given passages from William Shakespeare's Hamlet and the New York Times to transcribe using only their minds

The 12 words a minute achieved by the monkeys could be speeded up by pairing the technology with word completion technology used by smartphones.

In addition to proving the technology, this study showed that the implanted sensor could be stable for several years.

The animals had the implants used to test this and previous iterations of the technology for up to four years prior to this experiment, with no loss of performance or side effects in the animals.

If the group is successful, technologies for directly interpreting brain signals could create a new way for people with paralysis to move and communicate with loved ones.

MONKEYS HAVE WRITTEN 99.9% OF SHAKESPEARE'S WORKS

In 2011, a team of monkeys wrote the complete works of Shakespeare - just.

They weren't real monkeys, but virtual ones programmed by mathematicians to bash away at virtual typewriters.

The software apes typed random prose – in an attempt to mimic real primates – and a computer program compared the trillions of lines of gibberish they produced with the output of the 16th-century Bard.

Any letters matching small portions of Shakespeare's writing were plucked out and formed into his plays, poems or sonnets.

Scientists said their digital monkeys had recreated 99.99 per cent of Shakespeare's works – although clearly not typed in order.

The first fully completed piece was the poem A Lover's Complaint.